Agile - O, be some other name!Agile methodologies have been around for quite a while now. The Agile Manifesto was created way back in 2001. As such Agile - as a term - has gone from a curious status quo disruptor to a buzz-word to an entrenched term. It is similarly used and abused in t...﻿

Agile methodologies have been around for quite a while now. The Agile Manifesto was created way back in 2001. As such Agile - as a term - has gone from a curious status quo disruptor to a buzz-word to an entrenched term. It i...

Agile Martial Arts to Prevent The Project K.O.Recently, I have been having a number of discussions with colleagues about our projects and I noticed that there was a similarity in how we were discussing using the communication and feedback tools of Agile Development with concepts of Martial Arts. When t...﻿

Recently, I have been having a number of discussions with colleagues about our projects and I noticed that there was a similarity in how we were discussing using the communication and feedback tools of Agile Development with ...

In my previous post I wrote about how one of the primary things lacking in teams floundering with their attempts at Agility is a lack of discipline. I also linked to articles on two particular disciplines: Timeboxing and Feed...

Netflix, are you listening? This is exactly what we need. If a recent review of the newer selections on Netflix is any indication, there must be tons of parents using Netflix as an alternate TV source for their tots. I like having choices, but I do not like having my kids be bombarded by choices... they are still developing the skills to make good choices... This is part of why we threw out Cable TV years ago... now they have too many choices looking at the queues... There was something to being content with the programming that was on air as a kid... if I woke up too late, I missed Looney Toons, if I woke up too early, I wound up watching MacNeil Lehrer (sp?) or Andy Griffith. It was in this way that I was actually exposed to some interesting stuff which as a kid I probably would not have chosen for myself.

All I really want is to create a quality block of viewing content (maybe a time-machine trip to my childhood Saturday mornings?) and stop the endless discussions of who chose what last.﻿

... its like eating an appleI was communicating with the owner of a client company where I am doing an Agile Transformation today when she said basically that to her Agile was all about reviewing, organizing and prioritizing things in bites... a bite at a time... I wanted to clarify t...﻿

I was communicating with the owner of a client company where I am doing an Agile Transformation today when she said basically that to her Agile was all about reviewing, organizing and prioritizing things in bites... a bite at...

Milwaukee Agile Meetup - Continuous Integration Panel Discussion SummaryLast week I had the pleasure of being on a panel discussion about Continuous Integration at the Milwaukee Agile Meetup. My fellow panelists were Carl Schrammel, Adam Black, Jason Duff, James Carpenter and Adam Johnson. The discussion grew out of the group's...﻿

Last week I had the pleasure of being on a panel discussion about Continuous Integration at the Milwaukee Agile Meetup. My fellow panelists were Carl Schrammel, Adam Black, Jason Duff, James Carpenter and Adam Johnson. The ...

My Dad taught me to appreciate an authentic barber when he took me for my first cuts at Gordy's. The so has moved over the years but I was glad to see Gordy was still here when I moved back. Go to Gordy for a real Waukesha Barber.

Best Chinese food in Wisconsin! Order off of the Chinese menu, not the English menu. Don't speak or read Chinese? No problem, just tell them what you like and they will suggest something fantastic. The owner also gets marvelous Chinese vegetables from the local farmers so ask for what special vegetables they have in season. Try the Chinese broccoli, or the lotus root or ma po tofu.
UPDATE: Peking House has moved to MKE: 780 N Jefferson St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

We used to live nearer to Elliott Ace in Pewaukee, and I always swore by them as true representatives of the 'Helpful Hardware Folk'. When we recently moved closer to Tomchek Ace, I thought I would give them a try. I needed some washers for a simple project so I figured, why not pop over. From the moment I walked in there was a noted difference. The place seemed gloomy. The fluorescent lighting even seemed to be under-powered in a penny pinching, not a warm-tones way. The cashiers looked like the typical kids who took the job because it was what they could get... but that they would rather be somewhere else. Not a welcoming smile in the place. The guy who helped me find the washers I was looking for (I was looking for a box of them, but it turned out they only sold these particular ones individually) managed to come across as condescending in helping me with even this simple request. There is sometimes a fine line between being genuinely helpful and being condescending - and it is traced as a friendly smile. Over a handful of washers and dour condescension they have lost my businesses. I will be going to Elliott's where there is a marked difference in warmth even in just the store layout and everyone seems to actually really enjoy trying to help you with your projects.

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We used to live nearer to Elliott Ace in Pewaukee, and I always swore by them as true representatives of the 'Helpful Hardware Folk'. When we recently moved closer to Tomchek Ace, I thought I would give them a try. I needed some washers for a simple project so I figured, why not pop over. From the moment I walked in there was a noted difference. The place seemed gloomy. The fluorescent lighting even seemed to be under-powered in a penny pinching, not a warm-tones way. The cashiers looked like the typical kids who took the job because it was what they could get... but that they would rather be somewhere else. Not a welcoming smile in the place. The guy who helped me find the washers I was looking for (I was looking for a box of them, but it turned out they only sold these particular ones individually) managed to come across as condescending in helping me with even this simple request. There is sometimes a fine line between being genuinely helpful and being condescending - and it is traced as a friendly smile. Over a handful of washers and dour condescension they have lost my businesses. I will be going to Elliott's where there is a marked difference in warmth even in just the store layout and everyone seems to actually really enjoy trying to help you with your projects.

The entire staff at Elliott's in Pewaukee is the gold standard of "The helpful hardware folk." There is a fine line between helpful and condescending, and it often takes the form of a smile. From the complex to the mundane, they always listen and answer with good advice in a manner that makes you feel that these people just love to help you out. They usually have anything I am looking for, and in the odd case they don't they tell me exactly what I need and where I can get it... and they don't try to upsell you... for this reason they have my constant repeat business, over several other Ace's closer to home who frankly just have not figured out that whole smile thing. Thank you Elliot Ace, you guys rock!

• • •

The entire staff at Elliott's in Pewaukee is the gold standard of "The helpful hardware folk." There is a fine line between helpful and condescending, and it often takes the form of a smile. From the complex to the mundane, they always listen and answer with good advice in a manner that makes you feel that these people just love to help you out. They usually have anything I am looking for, and in the odd case they don't they tell me exactly what I need and where I can get it... and they don't try to upsell you... for this reason they have my constant repeat business, over several other Ace's closer to home who frankly just have not figured out that whole smile thing. Thank you Elliot Ace, you guys rock!